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gitana @met @fitta ALFRED T. PERRINE, OF LOUISVILLE, KENTUCKY.

Letters Patent No. 88,000, dated March 16, 1869.

IMPROVED SOST-HEEL.

The Schedule referred to in these Letters Patent and makfng part ofthe same.

To c ll whom it may concern.

Beit known that l, ALFRED T. PERRIN'E, of the city of Louisville, in the county cf Jefferson, and State of Kentucky, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in the Construction of Heels for Boots and Shoes; and I do herebv declare that the following is a full and exact descriptionthereof, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to the letters of refe-rence marked thereon.

The nature of my invention consists in the construction of a metallic base for the heel, and o f fastening it upon the heel-end of the sole of a boot or shoe, and then constructing and fastening upon such base a removable and elastic heel, which shall be cheap and simple-in its constructiolnneat, and even elegant in appearance, and mucnmore durable than the common leather heel.

To enable others skilled in the art to make and use my invention, Iwill proceed todescribe its construetion and operation.

Init-his description the boot or shoe will be considered to be placed bottom upwards,and the part of the heel next the sole will be called the bottom, and the part intended to go upon the ground will be called the top.

In the drawings- Figure 3 represents the sole of the boot or shoe, and the shank-spring in readiness for the heel-base, or plate.

Figures 6 and 7 views of rubber pad.

Figure 5, the base-plate.

Figure 4, various sections of the heel.

Figure 1, a sectional View of 'the heel.

Figure 2, a view of the heel complete, in place.

The base-plate may be made of any suitable cheap metal, either wrought or cast, and the bottom of it should'be made so as to t smoothly upon the surface of the sole, as formed by the last, and the lower edge of the plate, or base should be a little drawn in, so as to be within the line of the edge of the sole, and the base should be constructed with a raised rim, or elevation on its upper surface, extending round its outer edge, so that it will have a thickness about three times as great Aas that of the interior portion of it, where it should only have suicient thickness to a'ord it proper strength. n

The plate within this rim will be dat, except that in the centre of the area enclosed by the rim, a boss, or shaft will be raised out of the material, to a height equal to about three thicknesses ofthe body of the plate, and of sufficient diameter to admit of'its having a hole perforated vertically through its length for the insertion of a screw-bolt, F, which is to hold the heel upon the base.` The interior space between the rim and the boss a is to be perforated with holes for nails or screws, with which the base is to be fastened to-the sole.

The boss c may be made square or cylindrical in form, and a screw-thread is to be cut in' the perfora tion within it, to correspond with that upon the screwbolt F.

The shank-spring G may be made of any suitable metal and form, to suit the purpose desired, which is to hold the shank up against the hollow of the foot.

The rear end of it, e,may be inserted between the base and the sole, and fastened by a screw-bolt passing through the'base, through it, andinto the sole, and the residue of it may be perforated and'nailed to the shank, as indicated in fig. 3. When the base, fig. 5, is thus constructed, and the outer edge of it neatly sloped, or bevelled upward, to conform to the shape of the heel-shell hereafter described, and has been nailed or otherwise securely fastened upon the sole, it is then ready for the superstructure.

The heel-shell B, figg. 4, is made of iron, silver, brass,

vor of iron cr otherchcap metal, cast or wrought, and

plated with a more precious metal, or it may be made of hard rubber or gutta-percha, or any other substance of sucient hardness and toughness. It should be made of merely sufficient thickness to `afford proper strength, and in one piece, and open above and below, as shown at No. 3, B,- in fig. 4.

I divide the interior space by a partition, which is located about two-thirds of the way up from the bottom, which rests upon the base, tothe top, E, and parallel to the base, the heel-shell being in one piece, as before stated, and with a vertical perforation through the partition for the screw-bolt before mentioned?- lhe space inside the shell, and between the partition and the base-plate, when the shell is placed over it, as in fig. 1, is completely filled by a block, or pad of elastic India rubber, of the proper form, and perforated for the screw-bolt F and the boss a, before described. This pad should be alittle thicker than the space it will occupy when thereis heavy pressure upon the heel` so that when there is no pressure upon the heel, the shell will be raised by the pad a little upon the base. This pad is not only intended to make the heel elastic, but also to exclude dirt and water from the interior of the shell, and to strengthen it, by preventing it from being pressed too low down upon the bevel of the base-plate, and forced out of shape, or perhaps bursted. The lower edge of the shell is ared out so as to conform to and t the corresponding bevel of the rim of the base-plate, as before described, and to cover and conceal from view the base when in position, as in g. 2; and the lower edge is so bevelled until it is thin and sharp, and the side of this edge presses against the sole so as not to cut it, but to make a neat joint and finish with it.

The upper portion of the shell B presents to View, in iig. 4, a shallow cup, and this I iill with another India-rubber pad, (l, perforated through its centre like the pad D, and for the same purpose, and over this pad G, I placel'a piece-of suitable metal, in the form of a cup also, as a cap, or tap for the heel, and it is made just so much smaller' than the interior of the top of 'the shell that its sides will slip into it over the pad G,

screw-bolt, and should also be countersunk for the head of the screw-bolt, so that when the 'whole structure is fastened in proper position, the head of the screw-bolt may be flush with the upper surface of the top, E, when the heel is`not subjected topressure.

The pad O aifords elasticity to the heel, and ex.

cludes dirt and water from the space which it occupies.

I add another important feature to the cap, or tap of the heel, and thisis a rim, or elevation, (l, of the metal upon the top side of the top, E, and extending around 'the outer edge,vfrom the point b to point b', iig. l, and of the thickness of about one-eighth of an inch, and of such width as to leave a small area within it in the same form of the elevation itself.

The upper, or ground surface of this rim may be n'dged, or corrugated,lto prevent slipping upon pave, ments and oors.

The thickness of this rim should be made greater or less, according to the height of the' heel, and. it should be so great that the head of -the screw-bolt F will not come in contact with the floor or pavement when the weight of the wearer is upon the heel, and compresses its parts together, as designed.

When the heel yields to pressure in use, of course the heel-shell and the cap and thepads move upward upon the screw-bolt.

The screw-bolt should be made of length to suit the height of the heel, of course, and it should: have-as much size as will benecessary to afford stiffness, and strength suflicient. to hold the parts of the heel together under all ordinary uses, pressures, and strains.

rIhe boss a is raised for the purpose of increasing.

the thread of the screw in length, and for the further purpose ofAdiminishing the leverage and strain upon the upper end ofthe screw-bolt at f.

All lateral'pressure against theheel will try the strength of the screw-bolt at that point against thel boss a. But as 'a protection against such pressure,

the bevelled rim of the base-plate has` been provided That rim, by'itting into the heel-shell, as before stated,

prevents any lateral movement of the heel, provided le shell is always held down to the base bythe screw- .I should also state that the elevation, or rim d, in the top, E, should be' made to extend over the upper edge of the shell, so as to protect it from contact with the ground.

I am aware that metallic base-plates have been made by others before me, but such have been but little more and no better than ilat, thin pieces of sheet-m etal, nailed or screwed upon the leather; whereas, my base, by having the thick bevelled rim, is a safe and effectual means of holding the heel-shell in its position, and` of protect ing the leather of the sole from being cut and worn out by the edge of the shell; and moreover, the-shaft, or boss, raised from its centre, is a valuable, if not an indispensable device, for without it, the screw-thread, through the mere thickness of a thin sheet of metal,

would not be sufficient to hold the heel-shell in its position, for the thread of the screw would soon wear out by constant use; and in thesecond place, if a small portion only of the7 screw-bolt were taken hold of by the plate, and pressure were applied at the top of the heel, and against the side of it, the leverage would be so great that it might not be able to resist it,

While the screw-bolt is the key b y which the Whole www:

structure of the heel is held rmly together, yet it could not do this but for the bevelled rim and boss of the base-plate. ,4

I am aware that other heel-shells have been made before'mine.

One has been made in the form of a cup, placed bottom upward, on the sole, and fastened there by a screw-bolt, passing through the centre of its bottom, and into the leather, or into a thin plate of sheet-iron, nailed to the heel. But it is obvious that such a shell would not afford elasticity, would be liable to be moved out of position laterally, and the interior would become filled with dirt and water, and therefore would be objectionable. v

Another is a simple iron hoop, bent. round, in the form of a heel, and placed upon the leather, or a thin plate of metal, and there fastened by a screw-bolt, pass-A ing down through the centre of the plate, by which the opening of the hoop vis closed at the top, and down into the plate or leather at the base. v

Another is of a similar construction, except that it is fastened to a simple fiat base-plate by a metallic spring'and catch.

It is obvious that no spring and catch so used could hold the heel firmly in place when subjected vto the pressure of the weight of the body from various directions, and also that from constant exposure to water and dampness, they would soon be destroyed by rust.

Such heels would have but little elasticity, if any, and the interiors being empty spaces, would be filled with dirt and water, and would, on that account, be extremely objectionable. But on the other hand, a heel constructed according to my invention, is not liable to any of these objections, and a single one of them will ontlast several successive shoes or Jooots. rlhis, on account of economy, is an important consideration; and another, of equal importance, is, that aheel,constructed according to my plan, will always retain its original form, by reason of its elasticity, and the hardness of the elevation, or rim upon the cap E, and when that elevation wears away, the cap is so simple and cheap that it may be easily replaced by a' new one whereas, the common leather heel soon wears away on one side or the other, and the boot or shoe careensover, ,so that the Weight of the body-.presses upon one side of it, and forces it'more or less out of shape,-and renders it both unsightly ,and uncomfortable tothe wearer.

But for parlor and indoor-use generally, several modications of the before-described construction may be made; and instead of the inverted cap, orcup, constructed as described above, and of the pad C, the pad G', of soft rubber, as shown. in figs. 6 and 7, may be used.

It should be perforated for the screw-bolt, and shouldR till the topof 'the heelshell, and should extend up higher than the rim of the shell about one-eighth of an inch, aud outwardly, so as to cover the rim, and protect it 'from contact with the iloor or pavement, in walking.

rlhus, a 'soft heel is provided, and the rubber pad C would last nearly if not quite as long as leather, and when worn out, could be cheaply replaced.

The hole for the screw-bolt should bercountersunk, of course, so that the head of the bolt could be placed in the interior of the pad, and not come into Contact with; the tloor, or pavement.

The pads herein described couldbe cast in moulds, and it is believed that the material described would be suiiiciently .tough and hard for the pad C to hold the head of the screw-holt, but if found not to be so, the pad might be cast with a metallic plate inits interior, of suitable dimensions, and perforated through its centre for the screw-bolt, and the head of the bolt might rest and play against this plate, instead ofthe rubber'.

.But if a heel which may be lower, and at the same time` cheaper, shall be desired, for indoor-use, then the heel-shell, pads D, 0 C', and cap, may be dispensed with, and, in the place of them, a single pad may be used.

Its bottom maybe made to fit the top surfaces of the heel-plate, or base, and its outer and upper form may he as desired, and it may he held down upon the base by the screw-bolt F, in like manuel' as the pad .0 is held to its position in the top of the heel-shell. Thus a heel can be made low and soft for comfort. Any one of these kinds could be used Aupon the same boot or shoe, at the pleasure of the wearer, upon different occasions. Heels of my construction may easily be placed upon any old or half-worn boots or shoes.

Having fully described the construction and operation of my invention,

What I claim as new, and desire to seeure by Letters Patent, is-

1. The base-plate A, with its raised and bevelled rim, and its boss a, raised from its centre, when oonstructed substantially as and for the purpose described.

2. In combination with the above, the heel-shell B, in one piece, with its bevelled and flared lower edge, and with its horizontalpartition dividing it into two compartments, when constructed as and for the purpose de scribed.

3. In combination with the base-plate A, and heelshell B, the cap, or top E, the soft-rubber pads D, C, and C', the screw-bolt F, andthe shank G, when constructed substantially as and for the purposes described.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing, I have hereunto set my hand, this 24th day ofAugust, 1868.

' V ALFRED T. PERRINE. Witnesses:

A. MoDoNoUGH, V. H. SMITH. 

